A New Club
by mammoth93
Summary: A Literature Club origin story.
1. Beginnings

"There has to be something better than this," Monika said to herself quietly. Looking around the clubroom, she saw her fellow clubmates arguing over the smallest details. Arguing about what to do with the budget, what needs to be done for the school festival, just really trivial things that she didn't care about. She let out a sigh, 'I suppose that's to be expected in a club this size, and the nature of this type of club. I don't even remember why I wanted to join this club. Was it because my friends or because one of my teachers suggested it because of my grades? Either way, this hasn't been that great. I'm tired of arguing with people, it isn't fun. It never has been. Sometimes, all I want is to just write. Why did I join a debate cl-'

"Monika, you're spacing out. Club time ended. It's time to go."

"Huh?" Monika looked around the room again, and realized that she was the only one still there. 'That was weird. I'm not usually the type of person that spaces out like that.' She turned to the girl who got her attention, "Oh! Okay, thank you, Kaiya. Guess I was lost in my head, ahaha~!" She packed her things into her bag and left the clubroom.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something...oh, I have to go to the library, that's right! I have to do some research for my homework."

Yuri...wasn't the biggest fan of interacting with people to put it lightly. She always felt awkward around people. Whenever she had to speak to others, she always stammered and mumbled her way through, feeling her face get red. It was so embarrassing for her. It's not like she wanted to talk to other people, but whenever she had to it would be nice to at least have a conversation without making a fool of herself. She was sure that no one liked her because of this. So she wasn't a big fan of interacting with people. She'd rather spend her time doing what she always did, reading a good book while enjoying a cup of tea in silence. It's why everyday, after school, she would hurry off to the library. It was always quiet there, plus, being surrounded by books was nice. When she finished reading one book, she could just pull another one out. This was way better than dealing with people.

'It's too bad they don't allow tea in the library. But I suppose it makes sense, since they don't want any accidental spills. Still, it would help me enjoy these books more.' She closed the book that she had just finished reading. 'It wasn't bad, but I didn't really feel immersed in it.' She put the book back on the shelf and began looking around for another book to read. Eventually, she found herself in the horror section, where a particular book caught her eye. With red binding, and an ominous looking eye on the cover. 'The Portrait of Markov, huh? Seems interesting.' She returned to her spot and opened the book.

Sayori was wandering the hallways of the school. 'I'm so bored!' she thought to herself. Sayori wasn't in any clubs, and she didn't have anyone that she considered a best friend, at least not anymore. Sayori got along with just about everyone. Most people were friendly with her, but she wanted someone that would be by her side when she needed them. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, many people considered Sayori their friend, as she was one of the friendliest faces at the school, but she never really considered them close friends. That's what she really wanted.

So Sayori found herself wandering aimlessly, looking for something to do. Most students were in clubs at the moment. "I have a friend in the baking club, maybe she'll make me something! Oh, but I don't want to bother them if they are busy. I'd hate if I were a burden on them. Hmm...maybe I'll just go draw something or write some poems in the library. That's always fun, I suppose." She made her way towards the school library, humming along the way.

Natsuki was pissed off. Not at anything that her classmates did, but because of what her father did. He yelled at her for what seemed like the thousandth time, for reading her manga. 'Why does papa hate me reading my manga in my own room? It's not like I was being loud or anything.' All she wanted to do was read in peace, but as soon as he saw her reading, he went berserk. She wanted to yell back at him, but she knew better than to do that. She was scared of what he'd do to her if she dared talk back to him, let alone yell at him. If what he did now was any indication, it wouldn't be good.

'It's so stupid. Now I have to keep my manga in my locker. What if someone took it? Uuuuugh, this is so unfair. Plus, now basically everyone knows that I read manga. I already get picked on because of it.' So now she was seething. If anyone messed with her right now, she'd break their face. This, of course, wasn't good, because any small thing could set her off.

'Calm down, Natsuki...it's not like they know what I'm putting up with. This is why you don't have friends. You explode at people for the smallest thing. Relax, just breathe.' She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'Okay, Natsuki… you just gotta get through the rest of the day. With any luck, no one will bothe-"

"Hey, look! It's that little girl that reads manga. "

'Well, shit...here we go again. Don't let them get to you.'


	2. Literature is Love

Sayori turned the corner and saw a group of people by some of the lockers. "Huh...I wonder what's going on over there." She made her way closer to the group and saw a short, pink-haired girl cornered by an open locker. Some of the other students were pulling some books out of the locker and tossing them on the floor. "Bullies…just a bunch of meanies."

Sayori walked up to the bullies, tapped one on the shoulder and waited for them to turn around. "What do you want?"

"Leave her alone. Stop messing with her stuff. Or I'll let the principal know what you all are doing to her."

"Oooooooh, what a threat."

"Ahahaha, you tell her."

"Whatever, let's go."

With that, the bullies turned and left. Sayori glared in their direction until they rounded the corner. Letting out a sigh, she turned to the girl that was being bullied. "Are you okay? Stupid bullies…"

"I'm fine." The girl looked towards Sayori. "Uh...thank you."

"No problem! Here let me help you pick these up."

"No! I mean...it's fine, I can do it."

"Oh, is this manga?"

"Errrr…yeah. Are you gonna judge me for reading it like them?"

"Huh? Oh, no...I just had a friend that read manga a lot, so I thought I recognized what it was. I would never judge you for reading that. Were they really bullying you for reading manga? What is wrong with them? Bunch of meanies."

"You won't judge me?" Sayori shook her head. "Thanks."

"I'm Sayori. What's your name?"

"Natsuki."

"Nice to meet you, Natsuki.

"Yeah, same."

Sayori bent down to help pick up some of the manga that was on the floor. "Oh, this looks super cute! _Parfait Girls_...is it good?"

"Yeah! It's my favorite!" Natuki said, a big smile on her face. "If you'd like, you can read it."

"That would be awesome!" Sayori looked in Natsuki's locker and saw an entire collection of manga. 'Wait, does she keep her manga here? Why doesn't she just take it home?'

Natsuki generally was hesitant about opening up about her manga, let alone sharing it with someone else, but Sayori seemed like a genuinely nice person. Someone that Natsuki could trust. Maybe even be friends with her. "Where you going before you stopped to help me out?"

"Oh, I was just going to the library. I'm not in any clubs, so I was going to go draw or write poems."

"May I join you? I was going to head there before they showed up."

"Of course you can! I'd be happy if you joined me!" With Natsuki's manga now off the floor and in her locker, the two made their way into the library.

Monika entered the library to get some reference material for the next debate topic. As she entered the library, she noticed it was mostly empty, with only a few people in there. She walked up to the librarian and asked where she could find the information she was looking for, to which the librarian pointed to the back of the library.

"What you are looking for is right back there, dear. Would you like me to show you?"

"Thank you, ma'am, but I should be good. If I need help, I'll be sure to ask," Monika said politely.

"Alright, I'll be here if you need anything."

"Thank you!" And with that, Monika made her way to the back of the library. The debate subject wasn't an extraordinarily difficult one, but it never hurt to be prepared, and if Monika was anything, it was prepared for anything.

Or, at least, she was, until she saw a beautiful, violet-haired girl reading in the back of the library. Upon seeing the girl, Monika hid behind a bookshelf. 'Oh my,' Monika thought to herself. She put her hand to her heart and felt it pounding. 'She's so...pretty. Don't be weird, you're just here to get your reference material, not to awkwardly hit on someone you don't know. What if I just say hi? I could maybe hear her voice! I bet she has a beautiful voice, too! Okay, Monika, just say hi and get your things and get out.' "Okay, here we go." 'I said that out loud… whatever, just go.'

Monika rounded the corner and walked towards the girl and noticed she was deeply engrossed into whatever she was reading. 'She looks so happy. I wish I could be that happy. On second thought, I better not interrupt her.' Monika quietly grabbed the resources that she needed and returned to the librarian to check out the material.

"Find everything you were looking for, dear?"

"Actually, I did. I found exactly what I was looking for."

"I'm glad to hear that. Everything is good to go. It's due within a week."

"Hey, before I go, there was a girl reading back there. Do you know who she is?"

"The girl with the violet hair?" Monika nodded. "Oh, her name is Yuri. She's in here all the time. She comes here after school every day."

"Yuri…well, thanks again for all your help. I should be able to return these tomorrow."

"Alrighty, you have a good evening, Monika."

Monika packed everything in her bag and left the library. Ordinarily she'd have her mind occupied by preparing for the debate club, but the entire entire walk home all she could think of was Yuri. In fact, that's all she could think of all night. As she laid in her bed, all she could do was think about her, so Monika decided that she would go to the library and talk to her...eventually. "Uuuu...what do I even say to her? I don't know how to hit on girls. I'm the one that usually gets hit on...and by creepy dudes, ugh. What if she doesn't even like girls? Hhaah...this is so stressful." Monika rolled over in her and screamed into her pillow. She felt better after that. She sighed deeply, 'there's no point in wasting sleep worrying over this. Just relax and deal with it tomorrow.' So Monika fell asleep, and dreamed about a girl in a library. 'Yeah...I found exactly what I need.'


	3. Poetry in Motion

Monika spent the next few days after school at the library, and, like the first time she saw her, was unable to approach Yuri. It wasn't that she couldn't talk to girls, as she did that everyday, but there was just something about this girl that made her mind go blank whenever she caught a glimpse of her. Her long violet hair, the expression on her face as she read her books...it was like looking at an angel to Monika. Monika was always left speechless while observing this girl, and that was pretty hard to do for one of the Debate Club's more prolific speakers.

"Alright, Monika...today's the day. But...what do I say to her?" Monika sneaks another glance at Yuri. "She looks so happy and peaceful. Okay...just act normal, and talk to her like you'd talk to anyone else." Monika took a deep breath and made her way to where Yuri was reading. She stopped in front of the girl and paused for a moment. 'Huh? It looks like she hasn't even noticed that I'm standing here. Maybe I should turn back… No! You say something right now, Monika!'

Yuri was immersed in her book. So much so, that she didn't notice someone approaching her. Her eyes never left the words on the pages. Yuri never felt more at home than when she was reading. Some genres were better than others, but she found herself reading almost anything that she could get her hands on. In particular, she enjoyed reading science fiction, as it really made her imagination run wild; taking her to new worlds. She always found those stories to be the most satisfying. Recently, however, she had started reading horror novels. She started with some of the classic horror novels, before looking into some of the newer ones, and what Yuri found was that she enjoyed the stories where the reader would have no idea what was going to happen. The kind of stories with twists and turns, that kept you in your seat until the story was over. Those were satisfying to read, which is why she was reading one at the moment. _The Portrait of Markov_ caught her eye a few days back with its red binding and ominous looking eye on the cover. At the time, she had a few other books on her 'to read' list, but she made an exception for this book, and decided to start reading it. What she found turned out to be one of her favorite books, having everything she was looking for in a horror story.

"Ahem."

A voice shook Yuri's attention from her book and towards its origins. In front of her stood a girl in a school uniform. 'A girl? Oh no, social interaction. Just stay calm and be normal.'

"Hi! What are you reading? Its cover looks really interesting," the girl said, pointing to the book in Yuri's hands.

"Uh...i-it's c-called _The P-Portrait of Markov._ " 'You're stammering Yuri...god, she probably thinks you're weird now.'

" _The Portrait of Markov_? Sounds interesting! What is it about?"

'Huh? She...she wants to know about the book?' Yuri paused, lost in her thoughts as she tried to figure out what this girl was up to. 'There has to be a motive. Why would she talk to me otherwise?' "Uh...t-this b-book is about, uh...it's about...t-this girl in high school who m-moves in w-with her long-lost s-sister... B-But her life g-gets s-strange and she g-gets t-targeted by these people f-from a... human e-experiment p-prison... And she n-needs to c-choose who t-to t-trust, but no m-matter what she d-does, she ends up d-destroying most of her r-relationships and her life f-falls apart." Yuri paused for a moment. "That's p-pretty much what it's a-about."

Monika listened intently to what Yuri was saying. 'She stuttered through almost all of that, but it was so cute how flustered she was.' "Wow, sounds really interesting!" 'It's not really my cup of tea, seems to horror for my likes.' "By the way, I'm Monika, nice to meet you!"

"Oh, r-right...I'm Yuri. It's a p-pleasure to m-meet you, Monika."

'Oh, no Yuri...the pleasure is all mine, I promise you. And my god, she's so cute. She's blushing and she's all flustered. She's more shy than I am, which actually makes me a lot more comfortable talking to her. The way Yuri is nervously playing with her hair is really cute, too.'

Monika and Yuri spent a while talking about literature. Both enjoyed reading, as well as writing poetry. 'It's fate! It has to be!' Monika thought to herself. 'God I hope she's as gay as I am.' Over the course of several days, the two grew more comfortable with each other. They spent a lot of time with each other, eating lunch with each other and going to the library after school.

"Yuri," Monika spoke up, "can I tell you something?"

Yuri, somewhat startled, replied, "Oh, um...sure. You know you can tell me anything, Monika." Yuri offered a shy smile to Monika, which only made Monika's heart race even faster. She was already nervous, and her heart would not slow down.

'You made your mind up earlier, me...you can do this. It's only a few words...words that convey exactly how I feel about her, but just words. I can do this. I can do this? Can I do this? Yes! I have to, I already said I had to tell her something. Oh, but what if she doesn't like me the same way? Okay...relax, you'll never know if you don't say anything. What's the worst that could happen? Well, I suppose she could hate me and never speak to me again...that would, like...really suck. She also could just not share the same feelings. Then again, if she does share my feelings, I'll be the happiest girl in the world! Okay, I'm doing this.' Monika turned to Yuri, who was looking over her book. Her deep purple eyes locked into Monika's emerald eyes.

"Yuri, this is kinda important, and I don't want you to freak out, but…" Monika paused, trying desperately to get the words out.

"But what, Monika?" Yuri asked.

"I...I…" 'Come one, Monika...spit it out!' "I...wanted to let you know that...I like you a lot." 'There! I said it!'

Yuri stared at Monika for what Monika felt was an eternity. Yuri's mind was racing. 'She...likes...me? A lot? Does she know that I…? Does she? How do people normally react to things like this? Do I tell her how I feel? No, that would be weird. Wouldn't it? Oh god, I can feel my face getting red.'

Monika was freaking out internally. 'Oh, god...what have I done? This is extremely awkward now.'

Yuri slowly closed the book she was reading, setting it on her lap. "Monika, you like me?"

"Uh...yeah...I do," Monika answered, giving a nervous chuckle along with her response.

"Well, I-I have t-to admit, I w-was not expecting that. Th...thank you?" 'Thank you? What kind of response is that, Yuri? Tell Monika that you share those feelings.' "I, uh...same."

"Same?"

"Same." Yuri hid her face in her hair, playing with the long strands with her hands, as she always did when she was nervous or embarrassed, something that Monika thought was really cute.

'Same...does that mean that she? [gasp] SHE LIKES ME TOO! I'm so happy I would scream if I weren't in a library.' "So, uh…"

"Does that mean…?"

"I… think so?" Monika gave Yuri a smile, which Yuri returned, albeit a more shy smile. Monika was happy...truly happy, for the first time in a very long time. The girl she loved, Yuri, said "same," and all Monika could do was smile, because she was deeply in love with her.


	4. A Rough Day

Sayori and Natsuki had been spending more time with each other recently. It wasn't long before the two girls became really good friends, and the more time that passed, the closer the two got. Natsuki was able to talk about her manga without feeling judged for it, while Sayori had a new friend to spend her time with. It didn't hurt that Natsuki was a great baker, either.

Things were going very well with the two girls. Since the day the two met, Sayori had invited Natsuki over for sleepovers every weekend, which Natsuki was more than happy to accept. Any chance to get out of her home and away from her father was taken by Natsuki. Plus, Sayori was always happy to have Natsuki come over and bake at her place. Sayori got cupcakes and cookies, as well as a friend to hang out with, while Natsuki got away from one of the biggest stressors that she had to deal with, and she got to do baking.

Going back to her house was always difficult, however. Going from somewhere safe to being in the same building as _him_ was not an easy thing, but even spending five minutes with Sayori and away from him was worth it. Most of the time he didn't even notice when she was gone. Days like those were the good days. It's when he noticed she wasn't home that she was really scared. She just hoped that when she got home that he was already passed out drunk. If not, she knew to expect a verbal beating at the least. Most days were trying for the small pink-haired girl, but the thought of spending time with her friend kept her going.

At school, things were better for her. Since Sayori told off those bullies, they didn't bother her nearly as much. They'd still knock things out of her hands, trip her, try to take her things...but it wasn't as bad as before. It helped when Sayori was with her, because they wouldn't try to do anything when she was there.

Unfortunately for Natsuki, this was not the case today during the lunch hour. Natsuki went to read some of her manga since, once again, she had nothing to eat for lunch that day. 'May as well read _Parfait Girls_ if I'm doing nothing,' she thought to herself as she made her way to her locker. It was a thought she'd start regretting immediately, because her bullies were already waiting for her when she rounded the corner. '[sigh] Well...here we fucking go again. Don't fight them...Sayori said not to fight back. Maybe I should just go back…'

Sayori was late for school again. It wasn't exactly shocking, given she had been sleeping in a lot recently. Her teachers kept telling her to go to bed earlier. 'If they only knew…' she thought to herself as she ran towards the school building. 'It's so hard to get up some days. Now I'm late and I'll probably get yelled at by teacher again.' She ran inside and tore through the hallways.

Sayori rounded a corner and saw Natsuki surrounded by the same bullies that were bothering her from before. She froze for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, until one of the bullies grabbed Natsuki by the collar and lifted the short girl off the ground. It was at this moment that Sayori noticed Natsuki's eyes. The pink orbs that she had gotten lost in during their many talks with each other, were filled with anger and sadness. The hurt in Natsuki's eyes sprung Sayori into motion, and she marched towards the bullies.

'Do I want to cry?' Natuski thought to herself. 'I little, I guess, but mostly I want to punch this jerk in the face.' Natsuki was extremely frustrated with the situation she was in. 'I made a promise to Sayori. I promised I wouldn't fight anymore, for Sayori's sake. Gah...I want to scream.' Natsuki looked at the face of the bully grabbing her collar. 'And where does this bitch get off grabbing me by the collar? I'd knock him down a peg or two. Thinks he's so tough when he's got his buddies backing him up.' Natsuki glared daggers into the eyes of her current tormenter.

"Aren't you gonna fight back? Say something pipsqueak,' he said, spitting in her face as he spoke.

One of his friends spoke up next. "Hey, remember when we tore your little kids book up? Ha! That was pretty great."

'Ignore that, Natsuki...fight the urge...to punch his stupid mouth.'

"Hey, you got anymore of those? We could use something to bur-"

"Leave her alone!" A familiar voice rang through the hallway. Natsuki turned her head, and saw her friend marching towards them. She also noticed that the jerk holding her had his head turned, too. 'Idiot,' she thought, 'you're at perfect kicking level now.' With her foe distracted by Sayori, she brought her right leg back, and then forcefully into his left knee, causing him to drop her.

Natsuki took off towards Sayori while the bullies were left momentarily shocked by what had just taken place. "Run," Natsuki told Sayori, grabbing her hand and running as fast as she could go.

"Get her!" Natsuki heard her tormentor hollar behind them, followed by the sounds of footsteps, that were fading away as Natsuki and Sayori got further and further away, until they gave up.

Sayori and Natuski ran out of the school and, realizing they were in the clear, stopped by a large tree to catch their breath. "Haaaaaahh… haaaaaahhh… I think… we lost 'em."

"Are you okay, Natsuki? I was worried when I saw what was happening."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, sitting down with her back against the tree. Sayori followed suit and joined her friend on the ground. "They didn't hurt me or break any of my things this time. So I'm fine."

"Oh, good. I'm glad you're not hurt." The two sat in silence for a few minutes until Natsuki spoke up again.

"Hey, Sayori?"

Sayori turned her head to face Natsuki. "Yeah?"

"Thanks… for everything… for saving me back there, and especially for being my friend. You're a good person, and I'm happy I met you." Natsuki wrapped her arms around Sayori, who smiled and hugged Natsuki back. The two stayed in their embrace for some time, until the bell signalling the end of the lunch hour went off. They got up and made their way back into the school, holding hands as they walked the hallways together on their way to class.


	5. Diverging Paths

Monika hummed to herself as she walked through the halls of the school. A song she had been writing for some time, but was still too embarrassed to show anyone, especially her friend-no...girlfriend, Yuri. Two weeks had passed since they confessed their feelings to each other, and in that time, she was noticeably happier than before. So she walked the halls in a cheerful mood, on her way to the library.

'Maybe I should surprise her with a date? It's been two weeks to the day, and we should do something special.' Monika stopped to look outside a window. 'It's a beautiful spring day. The flowers are blooming, the weather is nice...maybe a picnic? Is that something she'd like?' Monika let out a sigh, and continued on her way. 'Of course she'll like it. She said she enjoys spending time with me, and that's all that matters to her. But I wanna make her feel special. Maybe I'll make the lunches? As cliche as it is, everything does taste better with love, right? Right! So I'll ask her to have a picnic with me.' Satisfied with her date idea, she continued humming until she arrived at the library.

When she arrived at the library, she immediately began looking for Yuri, but she wasn't in her normal place. 'Normally she sits in the far corner with her back against the wall, but she's not there? But...she's always there. Oh god, did something happen? Did someone hur-'

"Hi Monika."

A soft voice cut through Monika's thoughts, and she turned around to find Yuri standing there. "Yuri!" Monika said, way too loud for a library. "You weren't here, so I was a little worried."

"Huh? Oh, I apologize, I had to ask my teacher a few questions for our homework assignment and was running a little behind."

Monika walked up to Yuri and embraced her. Just feeling the warmth of Yuri's body made Monika immediately relaxed. "So, do you know what today is?"

Yuri had a thoughtful expression on her face for a moment. "Friday?"

Monika felt herself pout. "Nope. Well, technically, it is, but it's more than that."

"I know. It's our two week anniversary," Yuri said, giving a playful smile to Monika, that only flustered her more.

'You can be so mean, Yuri. Teasing me like that. But, then again, that's why I love you.' "Yes, our two week anniversary is today. So I was thinking that maybe we should do something special together." Monika separated herself from their embrace and looked into Yuri's eyes. "Would you want to do a picnic with me?"

"A picnic? Hmmm, it is getting nice outside. I would love that, Monika."

"Yes! Does tomorrow work for you?"

"Y-yes, I have nothing planned besides s-some light reading. And I wouldn't mind spending more time with you. Should I bring anything?"

"Nope, I'll take care of everything. I'll make sure to stop by your place and get you."

"M-my p-place?"

"Yep, if that's not a problem."

"N-no, that's fine. It's just, I've never really had anyone at my place before."

"Oh?" Monika flashed a devilish grin, and trapped Yuri into a corner. "Worried about being alone with me?" She put her face closer to Yuri's blushing face. Yuri looked away when Monika got too close, embarrassed by Monika's teasing.

"E-excuse me, I have to go," Yuri said suddenly, taking off quickly.

Monika sighed, 'I think I may have overdone it. Huh? She forgot her backpack?' Monika pulled her phone out and texted Yuri that she forgot it in the library, and that she would bring it to her. Grabbing the backpack, she exited the library and began her search for Yuri.

After that ordeal from earlier, Sayori just wanted the rest of the day to go by peacefully. Being able to walk the hall with Natsuki without being harassed by those bullies after the lunch period ended was great. With classes now over, all they had to do was stop by their lockers to grab their things, and they could leave. The trip to her locker was uneventful, especially since it was close to where her last class was. After grabbing everything she needed, she quickly made her way towards Natsuki's locker.

'Please, don't be there. Please, don't be there. I don't know if I'm strong enough to face them again.' Sayori rounded the corner, and her heart sank. Natsuki was pinned against the lockers by two of the bullies from earlier, while another was digging through her locker, pulling her manga out and tossing it behind him. Natsuki was trying to free herself by flailing around, to no avail, as she just wasn't strong enough to break free from their grips. Sayori didn't know what to do. She was panicking and couldn't think clearly. "STOP!" She shouted as loud as she could, getting everyone's attention.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't the runt's little friend," the bully who was pulling Natsuki's manga out of her locker sneered. "What do you want? Wait, do you read this kid's garbage too? Hahahaha, you do, don't you?"

"Leave her alone." Sayori said, quietly.

"What?"

"Leave Natsuki alone."

"Oh, you have a problem with what we're doing? And what are you gonna do about it? You're just a little girl, you can't stop us. Besides, the little bitch has it coming after what she did earlier."

"Just wait until I break free, and that'll be just a taste of what I'll do to you," Natsuki said through tears, her voice filled with anger and sadness.

"Oh, I'll get to you, but first your little friend needs to learn her place."

"Don't touch her!" Natsuki screamed.

"You're pathetic. You can't even help your friend, let alone yourself. I mean, look at you, just standing there, crying. You're really not worth putting any effort in, because of how worthless you already are. A waste of space and everyone's time." The bully leaned in close to Sayori's face. "I bet Natsuki doesn't even want you around because of how pathetic you really are. Honestly, I don't know how anyone could stand being around someone like you. If I were you, I'd make everyone happier if I just wasn't around anymore. The world would be much better without you in it. Why don't you just kill yourself and save everyone the trouble of putting up with you?"

Sayori fell to her knees, unable to stand anymore. 'He's right… I… really am worthless.'

"Leave her alone, you jerk!" This got his attention, and he turned towards Natsuki.

"I'm only telling her the truth, hahaha." He stopped to pick up one of Natsuki's mangas that were strewn across the floor. "Parfait Girls? What garbage is this?" Opening the book half way, he grabbed the book near the top and began pulling it, ripping it in half. When he was finished, he began laughing when he saw Natsuki's defeated face. "C'mon guys, I think they learned their place now." The two holding Natsuki back let her go and she slumped to the ground. Satisfied with everything that they did, the trio left Natsuki and Sayori alone.

Natsuki was clutching the two halves of her manga, trying as hard as she could to hold back tears. She crawled over towards Sayori, who was silently sobbing in the middle of the hallway. "Sayori, don't listen to him. He's just trying to make you feel bad."

"B-but… he's right."

"What? No he's not!"

"Yes, he is. I am pathetic and worthless. I couldn't even stop them from tearing your manga apart. Everything he said about me is right." Sayori stood up suddenly, and ran away.

"Sayori!" Natsuki shouted after her, but Sayori had already rounded the corner, disappearing from Natsuki's sight.


	6. Comfort in Broken Arms

Sayori ran through the hallways of the mostly empty school. Her eyes were stinging with the tears falling down her face. 'They were right,' she thought over and over again as she ran. 'I couldn't help Natsuki, and it is all my fault.' As she was running, she bumped into a girl with 2 backpacks, though she didn't really notice her. She just kept running. Eventually she found herself on the third floor, where she decided that she would hide in the restroom. She ran into the restroom, and saw another girl in there.

"Uh…" Sayori looked at the girl. She was very pretty, Sayori thought. Long, purple hair. She then noticed that she was bleeding.

After their encounter a while minutes ago, Yuri's heart was racing. She couldn't handle it, and just had to get away from Monika for just a few minutes. But, even being apart, her heart was still pounding. She had to do something to release, so she went to the third floor and went into the restroom to relieve that excitement the only way that she knew how. She pulled her sleeves up and pulled out a knife. Yuri was always careful when doing her… hobby… but still, the sense of danger and the pain of the blade sliding across her arm had a soothing effect on her for some reason. 'No one would really understand if they saw me doing this, but it's the only thing that can relieve this excitement I'm feeling. I mean, Monika is coming to my home and she's taking me on a date, how could I not be excited? Then to get up close the way she did, I thought she was about to kiss me. It would be our first kiss together, and I guess that just got me so excited I couldn't stand it.' Yuri slid the blade across her arm again, audibly inhaling as it cut her skin.

Just as she finished this cut, a girl ran in, leaving Yuri standing there with her arms out, panic setting in. She didn't know what to say. This girl was wiping tears from her eyes. Yuri hid her arms behind her back. 'Maybe she didn't notice? Oh, who am I kidding, of course she saw.' Yuri was panicking, she'd never been caught like this before. "Uh…"

"Are you okay?" The girl asked Yuri, sniffling after asking.

"Um… yes? But, I think I should be the one asking you that question." The girl shook her head.

"That's no good. I, uh… I saw your arms."

"Oh, you did?" The girl nodded her head. "Well, no sense in hiding it, I guess." Yuri revealed her arms.

"Does it hurt?"

This question caught Yuri off guard. 'I was expecting her to mock me,' Yuri thought. "Uh, well, I suppose it does."

"If it's okay with you, why are you doing that then?"

"I'm, uh… it's complicated, I suppose. It… helps me a little when I'm too overly excited. It's, like a release of sorts. See, my friend was, uh, being a little too affectionate and I couldn't really handle it very well, so I ended up in here."

"What's your name? I'm Sayori."

"My name is Yuri."

"I have some bandages in my bag, if you need some, Yuri."

"Oh, th-thanks Sayori. I, uh… that would be helpful." Sayori pulled out a small first-aid kit and grabbed some bandages from it. She helped put the bandages on Yuri's arm. With everything bandaged up, Yuri pulled the sleeves back down. "Thanks, Sayori. If I'm being honest, I was actually kinda worried that you were going to mock me for doing this."

"Huh? Why would I do that?"

"Well, uh, most people tend to mock me for my habits, so I was kinda just expecting it."

"Oh. Well, I am concerned about you doing this, but I'm in no place to mock you for it. That just wouldn't be right."

"So, are you doing alright? You were crying when you came in here," Yuri said, concerned for the girl that was helping her.

"Oh, that? Don't worry, it was nothing."

"I don't think 'nothing' would make someone run into a restroom while sobbing. You helped me with my arms, the least I could do is listen to you."

"I wouldn't want to burden you with my problems, though. It would make me feel bad."

"Hey, it's no burden, really. I want to listen."

"Well… if you really want to listen. My friend is being bullied, and I couldn't even help her. And the things that they said to me were right. I am pathetic and worthless."

"No, you're not, Sayori," Yuri said softly. "No one is worthless."

"But I am. My friend was hurt because I couldn't do anything. All I could do was cry and stand there." Sayori began to sob. "There's no way she'd want to be friends with me now, after I couldn't do anything. Everything that those bullies said about me was right. I am a waste of space, and everything would be better without me around." Sayori's sobbing became uncontrollable, and she couldn't speak. She fell to her knees, her face buried in her hands. Yuri knelt in front of her, and pulled her into a hug. She wasn't the most social person, but Yuri felt she had to do something for this girl, and her instincts told her to hug Sayori. Sayori clung to Yuri and cried her heart out while Yuri whispered calming words to her. The two remained like that for a while. Eventually, Sayori stopped crying, and just remained in the hug.

"Never believe what bullies say about you, Sayori. They intentionally try to hurt you, so you can't listen to what they say. Okay?"

"Okay." The two stood up, and Sayori hugged Yuri again. "Thanks, Yuri, I really needed that."

Monika was walking the halls, looking for Yuri, to no avail. "Where did she go? She hasn't responded to my texts either." As she looked at her phone, she noticed a girl running in her peripheral vision. Monika looked up, and saw that she was crying. As this crying girl ran past her, she paused and turned towards her and saw her run up stairs. 'I wonder what that was about.' She continued walking and shortly after, saw another girl running.

"Sayori! Wait!" this girl shouted.

'Sayori must be that crying girl.' The other girl stopped in front of Monika.

"Um, hey, did you see a girl with a red bow run through here? She was crying, and I need to find her as soon as possible."

"Uh, yeah, she passed me a little bit ago, what's going on?"

"Some bullies said some awful things to her, and I'm worried about her."

"Oh, I'll you find her, if you need help."

"You will? Thanks! Her name is Sayori, I'm Natsuki."

"My name is Monika. I saw her run upstairs, so we should start there." 'Sorry, Yuri, I'll get you your backpack at some point.'


	7. Timing is Everything

Monika and Natsuki hurried up the stairs to the second floor of the school. The went room to room searching for Sayori, but couldn't find her anywhere.

"Let's try the third floor, she could have gone up there, too," Monika said.

"Yeah. Sounds good, Monika."

The two went up the next flight of stairs and were on the third floor. There were club activities going on at the time, so Monika advised Natsuki to be a little cautious while looking for her, so as not to disturb the clubs. So the two began looking in every room, hoping to spot her somewhere, but once again, they couldn't find her in any of the classrooms.

"The only place we haven't checked yet is the restroom," Natsuki said. "We should check there next."

"Agreed, let's go."

They walked towards the restroom, and opened the door.

Yuri was still holding Sayori close trying to comfort her as her crying subsided. "Thanks, Yuri, I really needed that." Sayori said, smiling.

"Anytime, Sayori." Yuri said, returning the smile. She then heard the door of the restroom opening, and turned to see Monika and a short girl standing there. "Monika?"

Monika dropped the backpack she was carrying and took off without saying anything. 'I thought we had something special, but here you are hugging this girl,' she thought as she ran.

"Wait, Monika!" Yuri shouted after Monika. 'Oh, no… she misread everything that was happening. What do I do?' Yuri was panicking. Monika walked in on her and Sayori hugging and completely misunderstood and left before Yuri could explain.

"Yuri, go after your friend. I'll be fine," Sayori said, giving Yuri a little push towards the door.

"R-right! I'll be back Sayori." Yuri took off after Monika, and saw her head up the stairs towards the roof. Yuri followed as quickly as she could, though she knew that if Monika kept running, there was no way that she could ever catch her. She made her way to the roof and saw Monika sitting on a bench crying. 'Oh no. Monika is crying? This… this is all my fault. I have to do something, explain what happened, why I was in there in the first place. But that means… telling her about my cutting. I don't care if she hates me for it, she deserves to know the truth. If you love her, you'll tell her.' "Monika! Why did you leave like that?"

"I… I saw you with that girl. You were holding her close. So, I thought... "

"You thought I was seeing someone else?"

"..."

"That's what I was worried about. Monika, the truth is, I only met her a few minutes ago. She ran in while I was in the restroom, and she was crying. I was only trying to make her feel better."

"Wait, was that, uh, Sayori?"

"Yeah. She was dealing with some bullies, and we just happened to be in the same place at the same time."

Monika sighed and stood up. Looking out at the school grounds she remained silent for several seconds. Yuri watched her in silence. "I guess I completely misread that whole thing, huh?" Monika let out a nervous and embarrassed chuckle.

"Yeah, like you had a completely different book." They stood in silence again. "Listen, Monika… I don't want you thinking that I would ever betray you like that. I may not be very good at this whole relationship thing, heck, I'm not very good at 'people-ing', but I would never do something like that to you. I… I love you more than you could imagine, Monika. Ever since I first saw you, really, but, especially within the past two weeks, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. And when I noticed you in the library a few weeks ago, and how you would always happen to come when I was there, it made me so happy. It was like, everyday I would get to see you. Then, that day finally came, when you spoke to me for the first time. I'll admit, I was scared and nervous. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest, and when you actually asked me out I thought I was going to die from how happy I was." Yuri walked over to Monika and took her hand, and noticed that Monika had tears in her eyes again. These tears were different though. "Monika, I love you, more than any book I could ever read, and in more words than I could ever convey in any poem." Yuri then pulled Monika into an embrace, where they stayed for several seconds until she separated themselves to look Monika in her eyes. "It's also the reason I was in that restroom to being with. You see, when you were teasing me earlier, and you got so close to me, I just couldn't handle how it made me feel. My heart was pounding so hard, and I was scared and excited at the same time. I had to calm myself down, and I only had one way in my mind."

Yuri looked away. Monika could tell that Yuri was having trouble talking about this. "Yuri, it's okay, you can tell me anything." She gave Yuri a smile to reassure her.

"I, well, the thing is… I cut myself sometimes if I'm overstimulated. It's a release that I need sometimes. I don't want you to be worried, which is why I'm nervous telling you, but I know you will be regardless. Yes, I know it's dangerous, and I rarely do it and am very careful when I do. I was doing that when Sayori ran in crying. She saw me doing it, and honestly I was so scared at that moment, but she was more concerned about my arms, and even bandaged them for me, all while dealing with her own problems. I wanted to help her, too, so I thought about ways that my mother helped calm me down when I was crying as a child, and the first thought that came to my mind was to hold her close and to let her cry herself out while telling her things would be okay. She was just finished crying when you two came in."

"I see. I'm sorry, Yuri. I know I should have trusted you more than I did, and I'm sorry that I ran off before you could explain."

"It's okay, Monika. I'm sorry for running off earlier, too."

"I really do love you, Yuri."

"And I really love you, too, Monika." The two leaned forward and shared their first kiss, and both Yuri and Monika could not have been happier at that moment. While it may not have lasted that long, to them it could have gone on for eternity and nothing else would have mattered. When it finally ended, they held each other close. "We should check on those other two."

Monika took Yuri's hand in hers. "Yeah, let's go."


	8. Forced Smiles

Sayori and Natsuki watched as Yuri left and chased after Monika. With the two of them alone now, they felt a little awkward, unsure of what to say to each other, so they just stood there nervously for a while until Sayori quietly spoke up.

"So, uh... "

"You're a dummy, you know that, Sayori?" Natsuki said, shaking her head.

"Huh?" Sayori was shocked, that wasn't exactly what she was expecting Natsuki to say to her.

"I was so scared when you ran off like that. You're a lot faster than I thought you were. I couldn't keep up, but thanks to Monika I was able to find you. But mostly, I'm sorry for what happened.'

"No, I'm the one that's sorry," Sayori said in a forceful tone. "I took off on you. I couldn't stop them from tearing your manga up, and I made you scared because of what I did. The thing is, what those bullies said really got to me, and I didn't know what else to do but run."

"It's okay, Sayori. I'm not upset that you ran after everything they did, because I really do understand that. I was just scared because I felt alone without you by my side. And I'm sorry that you got involved in that situation because of me. You never should have been bullied by them, but because you're my friend, you were hurt, too. I've been bullied by people like them for my entire life. People who think that just because they're bigger than I am that they can do stuff like that to me. I can handle people like them. But then they turned their attention to you because you helped me, so what happened is entirely my fault.

"No, it's not your fault, Natsuki. I blamed myself for everything, even believed what they were saying to me, but that girl told me something when she was helping me. She said that I should never listen to what bullies say, because they are just trying to hurt me. It wasn't your or my fault, it was them. They are the ones that said those things, and did those mean things to you." Sayori offered Natsuki a smile to reassure her. Natsuki stood there and sighed.

"Listen, Sayori, I'm going to tell you something. Something that I've never really told anyone before, so you better not tell anyone else. Okay?" Sayori nods her head. "Ever since I was a little girl, I've been dealing with bullies at school, but school isn't the only place where I have to deal with stuff like this. The thing is, my dad is a bully himself. He barely feeds me, and some days he hits me. Other days, he just insults me. Those are probably the good days, if you could call any day good. He mocks my interests and even tore some of my other manga, which is why I started keeping it in my locker, because he wouldn't be able to get it here. Obviously that didn't work out so well. I used to have some friends when I was younger, but because I was bullied, people started to avoid me because they didn't want to get bullied themselves. So, I decided that if no one got close me, no one would get hurt. That's why I put that tough girl act on, so that people would leave me alone. And even then, you came along and still wanted to be my friend. At first I thought you must have been pretty dumb to want to be friends with someone like me, but you stuck with me. You're the only person that I've ever felt truly safe with. Safe from harm, safe to be myself. But then you got hurt anyways."

"But you make me feel safe, too. Even with what happened, I feel safe with you. And if you're telling things about yourself, it's only fair if I tell you about me. Natsuki, I have depression. I… know it may seem weird that the 'smiles and happy' girl has depression, but it's true. Just like you have your tough girl act, I have my own, only it's how I seem to act around everyone. The real reason I ran off like that, is because I believed what those bullies said to me. And when they said to just kill myself, and that I was a waste of space… I don't know, it just set me off. When he said I should just kill myself, honestly, I was strongly considering it, but then I ran into her and into Yuri. She, uh, helped me calm down and got me into a better place."

"Well, we should both get an award for our acting, huh?"

"Ehehe, yeah." The two shared a brief moment of laughter before standing in silence again. It was a lot for both of them to digest.

"Sayori?"

"Yeah?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I'll always be here for you, you know, if you ever want to talk about how you're doing. Also, if anyone ever tries to bully you again, I'm gonna punch them in their dumb face." Natsuki and Sayori shared a laugh that they both needed.

"I don't think that's necessary. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me. It would make me feel bad. And if I find out you got in trouble, I'd be super mad at you, because you promised you wouldn't."

"Then you have to promise me one thing, too, Sayori. Promise me that you'll always be here for me to feel safe. That you'll always have your arms open when I need a hug. That you'll always be my friend."

"I promise, Natsuki."

"Good, because I would have been super pissed if you said no." Natsuki walked up to Sayori and hugged her, trying to hold back tears. "You're important to me, you know."

"And you're important to me, too."

Sayori and Natsuki held each other close, making each other feel safe the way only they could for each other. "Sayori, can I tell you something else? I was too nervous to tell you earlier, but since we're being more open with each other now, I feel better telling you now, and I don't want to miss my chance."

"Yeah. Of course you can."

"Well, I kind of like you. Like, more than just a friend, if you know what I mean. And, if you're okay with it, I'd like to be more than friends."

"Wait… I thought we already were?"

"Huh?" Natsuki gave her a confused look.

"Oh, wait! Maybe I only asked in my head. I space out sometimes, and sometimes I forget."

Natsuki couldn't help but laugh. "So, then, my offer still stands. How about it, Sayori?"

"Sounds like fun, cupcake."

"Cupcake?"

"Just a little nickname for you, ehehe~!"

"Ah. I kinda like it, but don't call me it in front of anyone else. Got appearances to maintain," Natsuki said with a big grin.


	9. A New Club

Monika and Yuri made their way back to the restroom that they left Natsuki and Sayori in. "Hopefully they're still there, we were gone for a while, afterall," Monika said.

"I think they will be. They probably had a lot to talk about, just like we did, though probably not quite the same as us," Yuri said, grabbing Monika's hand, and giving her a smile.

"I suppose that's true. Natsuki seemed like a nice person, and she cares about that other girl a lot, from what I can tell."

"Yeah, Sayori cares about her just as much. It's kind of cute."

They found themselves standing just outside of the restroom. They looked at each other, nodded, and walked in.

"Yuri!" Sayori said cheerfully, running up to the taller girl and giving her a hug.

"Oh, h-hello Sayori."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, we got it all sorted out. Are you two doing okay?"

"Yep, we're good," Sayori said, giving Yuri a thumbs up.

"How about we take this talk somewhere else? The library is usually pretty quiet. Oh! That's right, you're bag! I was bringing it to you because you had left it behind in the library," Monika said, remembering what she was doing before taking off the way she did.

"Yeah, both your bags are right here," Natsuki said, handing the bags over to Monika.

"Thanks!"

"No problem."

"So, to the library then?" Yuri asked.

"Sounds good to me," Sayori and Natsuki both said.

So the four girls walked to the library, sharing a couple of laughs and stories along the way. Briefly stopping because Sayori got distracted by a poster on the wall. When they got to the library, the four found a secluded corner and sat at a table so they could talk with each other.

"So, we probably should do proper introductions," Monika said, trying to break the ice.

"I'm Sayori!"

"Yuri."

"Sup, I'm Natsuki."

"And I'm Monika. Glad to meet you two!"

"Same!" Sayori said cheerfully.

Yuri cleared her throat. "We should all probably come out and explain what happened back there."

"Yeah, that would probably be for the best," Monika agreed. "I'll go first, I guess. You see, the thing is, Yuri and I are kind of dating."

"You two are gay?" Natsuki asked.

"Well, yeah," Yuri said, slightly embarrassed.

"Anyways, I may have teased her a little too much, and she took off to that restroom. I noticed she had left her bag here, so I went looking for her. That's when I bumped into Natsuki here, who was looking for Sayori, and I offered to help. When we opened the door, I saw you hugging Yuri, and I guess I was jealous and thought she was 'cheating' so I took off to the roof."

"Ahh, that explains why you took off so quickly," Sayori said.

"Yeah."

"I was a little… flustered… by Monika's teasing, and as Sayori saw, I was trying to deal with my feelings at the time when Sayori came in crying. I was trying to make her feel better and was giving her a hug when you two came in."

"Yeah, I was kind of crying a little. Natsuki and I were being bullied and they said some things to me that just set me off, and I just couldn't handle it. And, the thing is, I kind of have depression, and everything just built until that moment," Sayori said.

"As Sayori said, we were dealing with a bunch of jerks, and they said some messed up stuff. Sayori took off and I tried to follow her, but she's a lot faster than you'd think. And like Monika said, we bumped into each other and went looking."

The four sat in silence for a few moments. "Well, I guess that clears the whole situation up a little," Monika said, trying to lighten to mood.

"Yeah. Hey, you said you two were in here earlier. What were you doing?" Natsuki asked Monika.

"Oh, Yuri was reading and I just like being around her." Monika reached out and grabbed Yuri's hand, startling the girl with the sudden contact. She winked at her, causing Yuri to blush.

"Do you guys not have any clubs to go to?" Sayori asked.

"Well, I was in the Debate club, but I decided to leave it because I couldn't stand the politics of it all. It just wasn't enjoyable anymore."

"I've never been in any clubs," Yuri said quietly, "There's too many people for me."

"That makes sense," Natsuki said. "I'm not in one either, since there isn't a manga club or anything like that."

"I could never decide on a club to join," Sayori said. "There's a lot of interesting ones, but nothing stood out to me."

Monika suddenly stood up. "I've got it! The four of us should make our own club!"

"Yes! I'm in!" Sayori said with excitement.

"I don't know, what will it be about?" Natsuki asked.

"I'm not sure, it would be difficult to make a new club," Yuri said.

"True, but it would be a place for all of us. As for what... Well, you like to read, Yuri. We could do some sort of book club!"

"I don't really read much books," Sayori said.

"All I read is manga. Does that count?" Natsuki asked.

"Hmm, then how about a literature club? Manga probably falls in literature somewhere. Plus, that opens it up to so much more than just books."

"What about poems?" Sayori asked.

"Those count!" Monika said.

"We should do this!" Sayori said excitedly. "Come on, Natsuki, it'll be fun, and you can read your manga there! It'll be a place just for us, where those meanies won't be able to bug us."

"You have a point there. I guess I'll join too."

"Excellent! How about you, Yuri?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a space for literature, plus with the four of us, I feel like it would be a good group. I'm in."

"There we have it! The four of us are a club. I'll fill out the paperwork that we have to do and be the president."

"Ooh! Can I be the vice-president?" Sayori asked Monika. "Pleeeeeeeeease?"

"Uh, if no one objects then sure."

Sayori looked to Natsuki and Yuri who both gave their approval.

"Then that settles it. I'll be president, and Sayori will be the VP."

"Yaaay!"

"We should probably all exchange contact information, so we can get ahold of each other," Monika suggested. "This way when the club is all set up and we have our own room, I can let you all know." The four exchanged cell numbers and packed their bags up getting ready to leave.

Monika looked towards Yuri and a sly grin made its way to her face. "Hey Yuri?"

Yuri looked at Monika and realized what Monika was up to immediately. "Y-yes?" Monika backed Yuri up to the table and put her hand on her shoulder. She leaned in closer, causing Yuri's face to burn a bright red. Grabbing a strand of Yuri's violet hair in her left hand, she looked into Yuri's eyes. Yuri's mind was spinning, and before she knew what she was doing, she put her hand on Monika's waist, placed her other hand on Monika's face and brought it towards hers and they locked lips. Yuri's heart was racing, as was Monika's. After what seemed like an eternity, the two separated, breathing heavily, their faces flushed.

"No fair! I wanna do that!" Sayori said suddenly, reminding both Yuri and Monika that they were not alone, and had two people watching them.

"Wait, what?" Natsuki said. Sayori grabbed Natsuki's hand and pulled her into their own kiss. As much as Natsuki's nature wanted it to end, a bigger part of her never wanted it to end. If it was with Sayori, it didn't matter. Sayori made her feel safe, which is something no one else could do.

"Ehehe~ sorry, I couldn't resist after seeing them," Sayori said, after their kiss ended.

"It's okay… it's not like I didn't like it or anything. It just… surprised me, is all," Natsuki said, failing to hide her happiness at what just happened.

"Well, then… uh, I may have forgotten that you two were here with us for a second there,' Monika said, laughing nervously. "So you two, huh?"

"Yeah."

Monika cleared her throat. "Well, then, I guess the only thing left to do is set everything up for the club."

"Yeah! I'm so excited!"

"Same," Natsuki said.

"I'm looking forward to it, too," Yuri said, grabbing Monika's hand.

"Okay, everyone! Welcome to the Literature Club!"

Author Notes:

Hey everyone, this is the author of the story. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read this fanfic. This is the last chapter of the story, so to anyone who has read the story, I am greatly appreciative of your support. I'll hopefully have other stories up soon.

warxmammoth/art/Yuri-and-Monika-784831776 Hey look, it's an art for this fic.


End file.
